Release Me
by greengirl2006
Summary: After Elphaba was born, Nanny takes her to a place where she will be hopefully loved, cherished and accepted. Will she find all those things and more, or will it be just as horrid as it would be if she stayed with her blood family? Gelphie eventually


Release Me

Prologue

Frex stood at the bedside of his wife looking at his newborn infant daughter in his arms, still covered in the after birth. There was something about this child that unsettled him. Her eyes were too bright, grip too strong, and skin too soft. Something about the aura of the child made his skin crawl but he could not pinpoint the cause. Making his way to the water basin, the tiny child with black hair and glimmering black eyes looked at him and he shivered. What was about this child that made his skin rise with goose bumps? He caught a glimpse of her skin in the candle light. It was green.

"Get rid of this creature," He said, startling the women in the room.

"Frex, what in Oz are you talking about?" Melena, the infant's mother asked from her bed. "That's our daughter we will do no such thing."

Nanny hobbled her way over to where Frex was standing and saw the same thing the preacher did. "Sweet Lurline, the child is green!!"

Melena laughed nervously, "what do you mean by green?"

"Why she's as green as an elf baby!" Nanny exclaimed running to Melena's side to help her sit up so she could see.

"Dear Oz…" Melena mumbled.

They heard the sound of a body hitting the floor, Melena had fainted and that was the last time she saw her daughter. Nanny glared at her charge now laying face down on the floor.

"Take her away," Frex said to Nanny, "take her somewhere far away from here. Some place where her evil soulless body will never be seen again."

Nanny scoffed, "Well I'm not sure about evil or soulless, but she sure is a unique one."

Nanny took the bundle from her charge's husband. She looked into the child's gleaming black eyes and the baby smiled at the old woman, whose soft light blue eyes were much kinder than those of the man she would never learn to call father.

"I'll take you someplace warm and prosperous my little pretty. Someplace you will fit in just right." Nanny cooed to the child. "What do you wish her to be called Frex?"

The preacher man sat on a milking stool by his wife's body on the floor with his head in his hands and worry etched into his brow. "We shall call her Elphaba. That's all whomever you give her to needs to know. Do not tell them who she came from in order to protect my family's good name. Warn them of the dread the child will bring; of her evilness. You do not need to take her to a place where she will be treated well. Take her someplace and dump her in the river."

"Just you listen here Frex," Nanny started in on him.

The man stood up stretching his semi-arthritic back so he was his full height of six feet, "You listen to me Monia. You are no better than a servant, paid to take care of your charges and help out around the household. I am not Melena's father and will not tolerate being spoken to about souls and evilness verses the good in the world. You know only the nonsense of Lurlinism and of the idiotic tales of Kumbricia, not of the good workings of the Unnamed God. The world is dead and once the Unnamed God cannot tolerate any more sin, it shall come upon us and wreak havoc on our very lives."

Nanny rolled her eyes and packed her backs. After that she kissed Melena's forehead, knowing she would never see her precious girl again, and set on her way with a bundle upon her bosom.

Nanny walked for hours until she found the main road to the next small village. She was appalled at Frex's reaction to his on kin. Sure the child had green skin, razor sharp teeth and a keen wandering eye already only after a few hours of life. Nanny knew in her heart that this child would do something monumental. What it was, good or bad, was unknown to the kind but sarcastic older woman, but she knew it would be known throughout all of Oz.

As she walked, the day grew old and cold and she came across a wagon train that had stopped and made camp for the night. She thanked Lurline for her kindness as she walked up to the head wagon, hoping to find someone she could talk to.

"Excuse me sir?" Nanny asked, shivering.

"Hello ma'am. What can we do for you this evening?" The older gentleman asked, rubbing his scruffy face with his hand. He was missing most of his teeth, his white beard was yellowed due to days, if not weeks, without bathing. However, his faded green eyes were kind and gentle.

"Well you see, I've walked a long way and need some place warm to stay because of my little charge. She's only a few hours old and I don't want her to catch a chill." Nanny said, turning sideways so the man could see into her sling that held baby Elphaba.

"Sweet Oz." The man exclaimed. "Well, if my eyes don't deceive me, that baby there is green!"

Nanny shh'd the man. "Of course she is, ain't ya never seen a green baby before?"

The man looked at the woman like she was insane, "Well, I sure haven't. Have you?"

Nanny thought for a second, "well no I can't say that I have, but she's a doll. Just let us stay for the night and have some warm milk. Please that's all I ask from you kind sir."

The man took a deep breath and sighed, skeptical of adding another member (or two considering,) to the wagon train. "Oh alright. I suppose it'll be ok for just one night."

"Thank you sir," Nanny said with true gratitude.

"You are welcome to stay in my wagon tonight," the man said climbing in to the adjacent wagon, "The lamp is here and full of kerosene with matches right next to it. There is are extra blankets underneath that bench and please make sure to tie the flap down. It gets quite windy around these parts."

Nanny smiled and asked the man for help climbing into the wagon in order to keep Elphaba safe. He brought her a bottle, borrowed from one of the other wagons, full of warm goat's milk.

"Thank you again… What's your name?" Nanny asked as Elphaba guzzled the milk down.

The man took off his hat, "My name is Chuck, and you?"

Nanny blushed a little at the action of the kind stranger, "Well I've been called Nanny as long as I can remember but my name is Monia."

"Well, it's a great pleasure Monia." Chuck said, the smile reaching his eyes.

The next morning as the sun rose high above the dewy land of Oz, Nanny rose to the soft cooing of little Elphaba. She was thankful the baby made it throw the chilly night and fed her the rest of the goat's milk. She took in the small infant child. Her skin was verdant as the buds on a young rose bush, her lips and tongue as red as blood and irises as black as coal. Her features were sharp for a new born, but the child had an amazing beauty to her. She sure was Melena's child, but Nanny was not sure if Frex was the father. He couldn't be, she was truly a beautiful child.

Nanny noticed how Elphaba's eyes wandered around the interior of the wagon, as if she was trying to experience the whole world, only less than a day old. She had a small light pink birthmark in the shape of a circle, or was it a heart on the left side of her chest, slightly above her heart.

Chuck came by the wagon an hour later to check on the kind woman and her kin.

"Good morning Monia and baby." He said outside of the wagon, hoping not to startle the two.

"Good morning Chuck, you may come in we are decent, and her name is Elphaba," said Nanny.

Chuck climbed into the wagon and handed Nanny a bowl full of porridge. "Here eat this. I put extra sugar in it to help with the taste."

Nanny smiled once again at the kindness of the man. "Thank you Chuck, we will be along shortly."

Chuck sat down beside Nanny on the bed and reached out to stroke the soft skin of the baby. "What's the story behind this beauty?"

Nanny cocked her head to the right and looked at the man. "Well, I was told not to tell anyone of her origins or anything else; only her name."

Chuck's face fell, "Well that's a crock. She's a beautiful, unique girl. You can see her kind soul in her eyes. Forget the color of her skin, look into the eyes. They shine with brilliance."

Nanny smiled and silently decided to share Elphaba's beginning with Chuck, "She was my charge's first. I'm not sure why her skin is died this color but it sure is beautiful to me. Her father, who is a preacher of the Unnamed God, directed me to get rid of her. Someplace her supposed evil soulless body would never be found. He told me to throw her in the river."

Chuck sniffled as he wiped the tears from his face, "That is one reason I don't believe in the Unnamed God, because there's so many things to go against its good will. You will ride with us to the Emerald City."

Nanny was taken back, "I don't want to put you or anyone else out. We will be just fine by foot."

Chuck smiled, "I'd sure like the company, and that way I can make sure you two both make it to the EC safely. This little lady sure has a future ahead of her I'm afraid. She will be seen as a gift from Lurline herself. A city named after the beautiful color of the most precious gem in Oz will sure be more than likely amazed by her skin color and know her true calling as its leader."

Nanny smiled as she put Elphaba in Chucks waiting hands and leaned back against the soft pillows on the small cot. Elphaba looked at the man and smiled, her eyes brighter than ever. He had spoke of her destiny, not a destiny that they were sure of by any means, but a great possibility of a destiny that was almost too good to be true.

An hour later, they set off towards the future of Elphaba Thropp.


End file.
